Twins' Jhoan Duran: Holds on for first save of 2025
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Duran picked up the save Tuesday against the Mets after allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one.
A throwing error by Willi Castro set the table for the Mets, later enabling a Luisangel Acuna single to bring the tying run to the plate in a 6-3 game. Duran was still ultimately able to fan Francisco Lindor to earn his first save of the campaign. The hard-throwing right-hander remains the favorite for saves over Griffin Jax in the Minnesota bullpen, with Duran logging a 1.23 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 6:3 K:BB over 7.1 innings to begin the season.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Sharp despite lack of save chances
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Duran threw a perfect inning while striking out one in Sunday's 5-1 win over Detroit. He has a 1.42 ERA with five strikeouts in 6.1 innings but doesn't have a save chance.
He was lined up to get a save opportunity, but the Twins scored in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Duran a four-run lead to protect in the ninth inning. The Twins do not have a save yet as a team this season. Duran's velocity is down slightly this season (99.9 mph average fastball from 100.5 mph last season), but he's still been very effective. He's set to get the bulk of save chances for the Twins, though manager Rocco Baldelli will likely play matchups and use Duran in the eighth inning at times with Griffin Jax pitching the ninth inning.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Not worried about drop in velocity
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Duran's fastball velocity has been down this spring, but he says it's by design, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I focus more on my mechanics and my pitches' movement," Duran said this week. "I don't need to throw really hard right now. Maybe in the [regular season] I throw harder, or maybe not."
Duran "only" reached 100.8 mph with his fastball Saturday while tossing a scoreless inning against the Red Sox and striking out one. That's in contrast to the 102.5 mph he hit in his first spring outing of 2023, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. The decline doesn't appear to be a major concern, as his fastball is still elite and he could just be easing into spring training as a more established veteran. Duran is set to return as Minnesota's closer, but manager Rocco Baldelli often deploys his bullpen without regard for the save statistic, meaning Griffin Jax and others will get save chances if matchups call for Duran to be used earlier in the game.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Gets $4.125 million from Minnesota
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The Twins and Duran avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.125 million contract Thursday, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.
Duran had an elevated 3.64 ERA but a quality 66:15 K:BB over 54.1 innings of work with the Twins in 2024. He is at the top of the pecking order for saves again in 2025, although manager Rocco Baldelli isn't shy about using other relievers to close games on occasion.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Allows run but grabs save
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Duran allowed a run on three hits and struck out two over one inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Angels.
Duran was able to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning despite giving up an RBI single to Nolan Schanuel. Over his last seven appearances (5.2 innings), Duran has surrendered eight runs (seven earned), though he's still logged five saves in that span. The right-hander is now at a 4.10 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 56:13 K:BB while racking up 23 saves through 48.1 innings this year.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Picks up 22nd save
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Duran got the save in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Rays, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Duran entered the game to protect a one-run lead, and he struck out the first two batters he faced and then induced a weak grounder to end it. Following a rough stretch in August, Duran has been better as of late with four straight clean outings in which he's only allowed one hit and racked up four saves in the process. The 26-year-old closer is now 22-for-24 in save opportunities this season with a 3.45 ERA.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Earns 21st save
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Duran earned the save in Monday's 5-4 win over the Rays, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Duran was called upon for the second straight day and came through with the save on 14 pitches. It was the 26-year-old's first clean appearance since Aug. 15, but he has successfully converted five of his six save opportunities in that span. On the year, he is 21-for-23 in save chances and owns a 3.52 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 51:13 K:BB across 46 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Secures save Sunday
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Duran picked up the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, striking out a batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
Duran reeled off his second save of the weekend. He began his outing with a strikeout and navigated around a hit batter to pick up his 20th save of the season, his second consecutive campaign with at least 20 saves. Duran has now had to work around a batter on the bases in seven straight appearances but has only allowed an earned run one of those outings. For the year, the 26-year-old has a 3.60 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 50:13 K:BB in 45 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Falls apart in extras
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Duran (6-8) took the loss Tuesday, coughing up four runs (three earned) on four hits in one-third of an inning in an 8-6 extra-inning loss to Atlanta. He struck out one.
Called in for the top of the 10th inning in a 4-4 tie, Duran gave up a double to Marcell Ozuna to lead off the frame and never found his footing. The Twins' closer has been tagged for runs in six of 14 appearances since the All-Star break, stumbling to a 5.84 ERA and 1.62 WHIP over that stretch despite a 20:3 K:BB in 12.1 innings. Duran's recent struggles seem largely due to bad luck -- his average exit velocity allowed on the season sits in the 91st percentile, while his groundball rate is in the 98th percentile.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Saddled with tough-luck loss
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Duran (6-7) took the loss Sunday, allowing two runs (zero earned) on three hits over one inning against the Cardinals. He struck out two.
Duran appeared in his second consecutive game after having not previously pitched since last Sunday. He should have gotten out of the inning unscathed with his 19th save in tow, but a one-out ground ball that could have resulted in a game-ending double play was thrown into left field by Edouard Julien, extending the inning. Two batters later, Lars Nootbaar connected on a two-out single that drove in two and saddled Duran with the tough-luck loss. On the positive side for Duran, while his K/9 is at a career-low 10.13, he's struck out multiple batters five times in his last seven outings, allowing just one earned run with a K/9 of 18.47 during that stretch.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Secures 18th save
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Duran allowed a hit and struck out two during a perfect inning to earn a save against the Rangers on Friday.
Duran worked around a two-out single to close out the 4-3 victory. He needed just 13 pitches to convert the save and is now 18-for-19 in save opportunities this season. Since his lone blown save chance in Oakland on June 21, Duran has a 3-2 record with seven saves and a 2.60 ERA through 19 appearances. For the year, he owns a 3.35 ERA and a 43:12 K:BB across 40.1 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Nails down 17th save
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Duran picked up the save in Thursday's win over the Rangers, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.
Duran entered the contest with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and retired the first two batters on strikes before getting Josh Smith to ground out for his 17th save of the season. The right-hander has allowed only one run this month over five appearances, posting a 7:0 K:BB over that stretch while recording two saves. He's also recorded at least two strikeouts in three of his last six outings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Picks up win No. 6
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Duran (6-5) picked up the win Wednesday against the Phillies, pitching a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout.
Duran came on in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied and made quick work of the Phillies, retiring the side in order. In the bottom half of the frame, Max Kepler ended the game with a walk-off single to give Duran his sixth win of the season. The 26-year-old quickly bounced back from Tuesday night's appearance in which he allowed three earned runs and took the loss. The right-hander owns a 3.51 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB while converting 15 of 16 save chances.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Surrenders three runs
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Duran (5-5) took the loss Tuesday against Philadelphia, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks across two-thirds of an inning.
Duran took over in the ninth inning with the game tied 0-0, and he loaded the bases with one out, yielding a double to Bryce Harper and issuing two walks. Brandon Marsh broke the stalemate with a sacrifice fly and then Nick Castellanos ended Duran's appearance with a two-RBI double. The 26-year-old Duran has a 3.62 ERA through 32.1 innings but has converted 15 of his 16 save chances.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Takes loss Sunday
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Duran (5-4) allowed an unearned run on one hit without retiring a batter to take the loss Sunday versus the Giants.
Duran gave up a triple to Mike Yastrzemski to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning, and it turned into a run after Brooks Lee's relay throw ended up in the dugout. It's a tough way for Duran to take a loss, which also ended his 7.2-inning scoreless streak, but it won't hurt his ERA, which remains at 2.93 to go with a 0.98 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB through 30.2 innings. Since Duran was pitching in a tied game before giving up the run, he also will avoid taking his second blown save of the year, and his status as the Twins' primary closer is not in question.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Converts 15th save
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Duran struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Giants.
Duran got the last three outs, completing a stretch of 4.2 innings of one-hit ball from the Twins' bullpen. This was also Duran's eighth consecutive scoreless outing, a span in which he's collected four saves and two wins. The closer has a 2.93 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB through 30.2 innings while converting 15 of 16 save chances and adding four holds this season.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Nabs 14th save
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Duran picked up the save in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the White Sox, striking out a pair in a perfect ninth inning.
Duran's held opponents scoreless in his last seven appearances, striking out seven while notching three saves in that span. Overall, the right-hander's ERA is down to 3.03 with a 0.98 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB across 29.2 innings this year.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Locks down save Sunday
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Duran picked up the save in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Mariners, pitching a perfect ninth while striking out a batter in the process.
Duran capped off the month with his 12th save in 13 tries this season and turned in a scoreless outing for the 10th time in 12 June appearances. The hard-throwing righty owns a solid 3.51 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB in 25.2 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Takes blown save, loss
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Duran (3-3) allowed two runs on two hits and struck out one over one inning Friday, taking the loss and a blown save versus the Athletics.
Duran served up a two-run home run to Shea Langeliers after being called upon to protect a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning. This was Duran's first blown save of the year -- he's converted 11 saves and added four holds over 24 appearances. The closer has a 3.91 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 21:8 K:BB through 23 innings.
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Twins' Jhoan Duran: Winds up with win
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Duran (3-2) picked up the win Tuesday against Tampa Bay, striking out two during a perfect ninth inning.
Duran took the mound in the top of the ninth inning with the game tied, 6-6, and didn't allow a hit for a fifth consecutive appearance. After Carlos Santana delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, Duran ended up qualifying for his third win of the campaign. The Twins' closer is 11-for-11 on save chances this season and owns a 3.43 ERA across 21.0 innings.
